The couples glanced at each other in surprise, obviously, they didn't imagine that was going to be Harlan's question.
"If you are not going to tell me, forget about the deal. And, I am not ready to offer you any help for free. We all know you don't deserve my help," Harlan said when they both didn't say anything.Mr Allen sighed and shifted his weight to one of the legs."You really want to know?" He asked."Yes."Mr Allen glanced at his wife. She shrugged.Harlan prepared to hear the worst. Maybe his parents were even criminals or worse still; drug addicts who needed their 'thing' so badly that they thought Harlan was the right thing or probably the only property left to sell."What exactly do you want to hear about them?" Mr Allen asked quietly."Are they still alive?""Yes. They are very much alive and healthy," Mr Allen answered.That broughHarlan lay on the bed, fixed his eyes on the ceiling and thought about all he had heard.What exactly is holding his parents back from coming back for him like they promised the Allens? Did they not care about him?Or... Could the Allens have lied to him? He discarded the thought almost immediately. There was no gain in telling him lies. They were desperate people really but they wouldn't lie to him about his parents being very rich. "What if they suddenly appear and claim to be my parents?" Harlan muttered to himself.He rolled on his side on the bed at the disturbing thought. If they came back for him now, would he really want to go with them? Would he leave Mr Smith after he had promised him that he would make up for his dead son? He sighed. If Mr Smith makes a public announcement of him, his parents are bound to find out. Or...he could even have met with his parents without knowing. He closed
Harlan was panting as he rushed inside the hospital. He saw a doctor talking to a nurse and rushed over to them."Where is Elizabeth?" He asked, trying to control his breath.The doctor frowned, "who are you?""You called me and told me Elizabeth got into an accident." Harlan said, still breathing heavily.The doctor shook his head slowly, "I don't understand what you are talking about.""You might not be the one, but someone from this hospital called me and told me that Elizabeth got into an accident!" Harlan said impatiently.The doctor and the nurse both stared at Harlan as if he were some alien."I am not sure you are in the right hospital. As a matter of fact, there has been no case of emergency in this hospital for the past three hours, so I am not sure I am following," the doctor stared at Harlan.Harlan tried to catch his breath and took out his phone from his pock
Harlan had barely gotten to where he parked his car when he felt the presence of people behind him. He stopped walking and turned around. He met the stares of some muscular guys. The type that seemed to have spent all their life in the gym. Harlan stepped back, knowing that he was no match for them.One of them grinned, "I heard you talk too much.""Who are you?" Harlan asked boldly.There were two guys and they both laughed."Jason has been right after all," one of the guy mused."Oh, Jason sent you?" Harlan asked with a smile."Will you follow us freely or should we force you?" The laughter was away from his voice and now, his voice sounded like a threat."To where? To do what?""To teach you how to use your mouth."Harlan grinned, "I will be willing to teach you that there are some jobs you shouldn't embark on."As the two
Harlan waited until the last person in the bar had gone some distance away from the bar before he opened the car and got down from it. He walked inside the bar and saw Jack and the two guys sitting across one another. Harlan went to them and sat down beside Jack. The two guys were smoking heavily. Harlan wasn't going to mind that if it would make him get something about the Alberts to help in Wallace Stone's revenge.Harlan cleared his throat and folded his hands on the table."What is your name?" He asked the guy whose tooth had gone off earlier.The guy shrugged, "I don't think that matters..." But when he glanced at Jack, he shrugged again, "Simon is the name."Harlan glanced at the other guy, "you?""Andrew.""So the two of you have been working for the Alberts for twenty years?" Harlan asked even though he knew it wasn't necessary. He was just trying to get the guys to talk. Their
Harlan stared at Simon in surprise, "this is no betrayal. I am only asking you to tell me about yourselves!""Telling you about ourselves involves talking a bit about the Alberts. I'm sorry, we can't divulge any information about the Alberts to strangers. Count yourself lucky to have Jack LA with you. If not, it would have been another story entirely by now." Simon grabbed the reluctant Andrew by the arm and walked off with him.Harlan continued staring at their back even after they had left."Sir?" Jack called.Harlan closed his eyes and opened it slowly with a sigh."I can go stop them and make them tell you whatever you want to hear from them," Jack suggested."No need to do that. I won't get the information I need from them if you forcefully make them talk.""If I may ask, why are you interested in their story? There are some pieces of scumbag," Jack stared at Harlan, wondering why
"I need the list of names of people in this college, especially the names of the students in our department," Adrian told Elizabeth when they got to a quiet place and away from any prying eyes."Are you planning a surprise for us?""No. I need to get someone's name."Elizabeth frowned, "you can ask for anyone's name if you feel like it and they would tell you.""You don't get it... I want to see the name for myself and confirm it.""Why? You are pretty popular with your hair so I don't see any reason why someone would deny telling you their name if you asked," Elizabeth said."I just want to confirm a name. I need the list of names urgently.""If you can't tell me a convincing reason for what you need the name for, then forget about me giving you the list," Elizabeth said and started walking away.Adrian was going to tell Elizabeth that Harlan is claiming to be Harlan Smit
Harlan walked over to Kelvin, pulled him in a bear hug, not caring if anyone was watching. He had missed Kelvin too much to be concerned with what others thought."I am sorry for what I said the other day," Harlan said ruefully."I overreacted. I shouldn't have behaved that way, but you know, the workload has increased in the bar where I am working and my boss isn't making things any better. He makes a big deal out of whatever I do," Kelvin said."I couldn't get you a post at the Jay Team hotel but I found you a job elsewhere." "I really appreciate the effort, man.""The appointment letter is in the car, let's go there so that I can show it to you. The money isn't pretty much but it will be able to help you take care of things till the end of the month.""How much is it?""One point five million dollars."Kelvin hit Harlan playfully, "I have never received that much money
"I am really grateful for this, man," Kelvin said with a wide grin."This is the least I can do for you." "I will call you later in the night so that you can come get the car.""Man, you aren't running away with it, are you? I will get the car from you tomorrow," Harlan said."I am really grateful, man."Harlan smiled and bid Kelvin goodbye. He called Jack and told him that he was going to board a cab.Once Kelvin had seen that Harlan had left. He smiled to himself and drove the car where he had planned— a place without a surveillance camera.He imagined how it feels to have a car like this to himself. He couldn't help but smile.He brought the car to a halt in an isolated street. He got down and looked around to be sure no one was around to see him carry out his plan. When he was sure that the place was empty, he got into the car again and drove toward a w